弘明集 12.72

12.72

答曰。以為釋迦之道深則深矣。而瞻仰之徒彌篤其敬者。此蓋造道之倫必資行功。行功之美莫尚於此。如斯乃積行之所因。來世之關鍵也。且致敬師長功猶難抑。況擬心宗極而可替其禮哉。故雖俯仰累劫。而非謝惠之謂也。

I reply: I consider that the Dao of Śākya is profound indeed; and the reason his gazing followers are all the more devoted in their reverence is that those who embark upon the Dao must rely on practicing merit. For beauty of practicing merit, nothing surpasses this! Such is the cause of accumulated practice, the pivot for future lives. Furthermore, when paying respect to teachers and elders, merit is still hard to restrain; how much less, when directing one's mind to the supreme principle, could one replace his ritual? Therefore, though one bows and rises through accumulated kalpas, it is not what is called thanking benevolence.